Chapter 43: Opponent—Leeds
"This time, neither of us can fully focus on going up against each other. Let's wait for the next time... Small clubs have it tough, and it's even tougher for small clubs playing on two fronts."
That was the meaningful parting remark Cooper left as he turned away.
"Small club, huh? That's exactly why I don't want to be stuck coaching one forever..." José watched Cooper's retreating figure and thought to himself.
A narrow 1-0 defeat to Valencia left Mallorca stuck at 34 points. Just last round, they had seen a glimmer of hope when Atlético Madrid suffered a crushing 3-0 away loss to Numancia, putting Italian coach Ranieri under immense pressure. Real Betis played out a 0-0 draw with Celta, leaving both teams trailing Mallorca by two points. Among the teams ahead of Mallorca, only Numancia, with their win over Atlético, managed to pull four points clear. Oviedo, Racing Santander, and Málaga all lost, leaving their leads over Mallorca at just one, two, and three points, respectively. Mallorca's relegation battle hadn't worsened—yet.
"We have eight league matches left. Our opponents are Espanyol, Barcelona, Alavés, Oviedo, Real Betis, Valladolid, Sevilla, and Atlético Madrid. Four of them are direct rivals in our survival fight. In these eight games, we need at least 12 points to secure safety. That means there won't be much time for adjustments—we need to give our all in every single match!"
"No problem, boss! We've had over a week of rest before the Espanyol match—more than enough time to crush our opponents!" N'Gonga spoke on behalf of the squad.
José nodded in satisfaction. Sacrificing this match had its rewards. For Mallorca, this rare break meant they could approach the upcoming games with renewed energy.
The fixture list actually played into Mallorca's hands.
April 2nd: Home vs. Espanyol.
April 6th: Home vs. Leeds United.
April 9th: Away vs. Barcelona.